Basic research is often invisible, but its results show up in game-changing technologies from brain-imaging MRIs to text messaging and car bumpers than don’t dent in minor traffic accidents.

To help more Americans understand how much bang the nation gets for its research bucks, the National Science Foundation has created a short video depicting some of the many fruits of the lab that have roots in NSF funding. “NSF: Everywhere In Your World” covers a lot of ground in 1.5 minutes. The whirlwind tour includes Doppler radar used in TV weather forecasts, safer planes, hacker alerts, voice-recognition software, and medical devices. As NSF Director France Córdova, an astrophysicist, puts it in a recent blog post describing these and other breakthrough discoveries:  “The National Science Foundation is closer than you think.”

Among the “12 irreplaceable innovations” that NSF funding has made possible:  American Sign Language, 3-D printing, the Internet, and the first photo of a black hole. NSF also supports STEM education initiatives, including that brilliant, red–headed science teacher who drives a magical school bus on TV, Miss Frizzle!

NSF’s YouTube page features videos on a wide range of science and engineering discovery, including a regular series entitled “4 Awesome Discoveries You Never Heard About This Week.”